The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is a state agency of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...
that
oversees 10 state-owned universities. Collectively, it is the largest provider of
higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
in the
commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
. All of the schools are primarily
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
members and affiliated with the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers C ...
(PSAC).
PASSHE should not be confused with Pennsylvania's other state-funded university system, the
Commonwealth System of Higher Education
The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is a statutory designation by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that confers "state-related" status on four universities located within the state: Lincoln University, the Pennsylvania State University, ...
that includes the
land grant university
A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890.
Signed by Abraha ...
(
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...
), three historically private universities (
Temple University
Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...
,
Lincoln University, and
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
), and the related campuses of the four institutions.
History
The ''Normal School Act of 1857'' was passed on the last day of session on May 20, 1857. Its passage created 12
normal school
A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
districts in the state in which to establish private corporations answerable to the State Superintendent of Common Schools. Afterward, the School Code of 1911 mandated that the Commonwealth purchase all the normal schools. The normal schools evolved from state normal schools, to state teacher's colleges, to state colleges. Act 188, which was signed into law on November 12, 1982, and came into effect on July 1, 1983, established the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and converted those state colleges into universities.
2022 consolidations
A plan to merge six of the current PASSHE institutions into two multi-campus universities is ongoing as of July 2021. There was huge public outcry against the plan. As it faced opposition by the Lock Haven City Council, the Clinton County Commissioners, the Clear Coalition, the Party for Socialism and Liberation Chester County, PASSHE Defenders, AFSCME Council 13, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO,
APSCUF
and a slew of public comments. Groups like APSCUF, AFSCME, and the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO held a press conference May 3, 2021
to speak out in opposition to the consolidation. PASSHE Defenders & the Party for Socialism & Liberation Chester County held rallies across the state at the campuses slated for consolidation and at the state capital Harrisburg. The plan being a part of the larger state system redesign was shown to have disastrous effects according to a report out of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The report titled "The Economic Impact of the PASSHE Employment Reductions" outlines "
helarge cuts in staffing, both of faculty and of professional and classified staff in good unionized jobs, constitute the core of the restructuring. The cuts, amounting to 14 percent of overall PASSHE employment, are of a magnitude equivalent to the largest private-sector plant closings and mass layoffs of the previous decade in Pennsylvania."
Under the plan, two sets of three schools would merge into single institutions effective July 1, 2022—Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield in the state's northeast, and California, Clarion, and Edinboro in western Pennsylvania. Each three-school group will have a new name, but the plan calls for all institutions involved in these mergers to retain their current campus identities and athletic programs. The PASSHE board of governors approved the plan on April 28, 2021, which opened a 60-day public comment period.
The comment period originally was set to have two public comment hearings throughout the 60-day public comment period as outlined in Act 50, only taking place on June 9 and 10. However after public pressure the Board of Governors announced the addition of two additional hearings the same days. Additionally
APSCUFheld their own public comment hearings.
The
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
would have to approve the continued separation of the athletic programs at the merged institutions. The board voted unanimously to approve the merger on July 14, but a system press release stated that "the efforts to complete the two integrations will take years."
Funding
State higher education funding across the country has seen significant cuts. In particular Pennsylvania saw an almost 34% cut in state funding from 2008 to 2018. PASSHE over the past two decades has been cut harshly in regards to state funding. As the early 2000's they received over $700 million adjusted to 2022's dollars by the state. However the 2021–2022 academic year they received below $500 million.
Universities and related entities
The system is a composition of 10 universities in Pennsylvania:
Universities
Consolidations in 2022
Starting in the 2022–2023
academic year
An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study.
School holiday
School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sch ...
, six of the PASSHE campuses were consolidated into two universities.
*
Pennsylvania Western University
Pennsylvania Western University, or PennWest is a public university with campuses in California, Pennsylvania; Clarion, Pennsylvania; and Edinboro, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and accredited b ...
, comprising the former California, Clarion, and Edinboro universities.
*
Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that oversees 10 state-owned universities. Collectively, it is the largest provider of higher education in the commonwealth. All o ...
, comprising the former Lock Haven, Bloomsburg, and Mansfield universities. These three institutions, while merged operationally with a common leadership and administrative structure, retain their distinct names and logos and appear as three unrelated universities for branding purposes.
However, the three universities were legally merged into a single university under the accreditation of Bloomsburg University, henceforth known as Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania by its accrediting body.
Centers
*
Dixon University Center
Dixon University Center was a former higher education center made up of college and university-level programs from a consortium of schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The faci ...
* State System @
Center City
Related organizations
*
Keystone Library Network
*
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. The conference was originally formed in 1951 as the State Teachers C ...
State System universities also operate four branch campuses. The Office of the Chancellor was situated in the capital city of
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
at the Dixon University Center.
As reported in November 2020, "The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education was given the green light from the General Assembly to sell the Dixon University Center". The Dixon University Center was then purchased by the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg.
Mission
As established by the founding legislation, Act 188 of 1982, the primary mission of the State System of Higher Education "is the provision of instruction for
undergraduate
Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
and
graduate student
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and stru ...
s to and beyond the
Master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in the
liberal arts
Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...
and sciences, and in the applied fields, including the teaching profession." Additionally, the purpose of the State System is "to provide high quality education at the lowest possible cost to students."
Governance
A 20-member
Board of Governors
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organi ...
oversees the system. Additional power is vested in the Councils of Trustees at the constituent universities.
Board of Governor's membership includes: four state
legislator
A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
s, three students, the
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of the Commonwealth (or a designee), the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education (or a designee), and 11 citizens appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate.
The Board of Governors sets general policy for the State System. They also set recommendations regarding individual university tuition and the university technology fee. They have meetings typically on a quarterly basis.
Act 188 of 1982 states, "Funding for the Board of Governors and chancellor shall come from all operating funds available to the State colleges and State-owned university, but shall not exceed one-half of one per centum (.5%) of such funds. For purposes of this section, the phrase “operating funds” means any federal appropriation, any state appropriation, any student tuition fees and any student fees for room and board".
Additionally, Act 188 states "The Board of Governors shall provide for the holding of regular and special meetings. Eleven (11) governors
attending shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business and, unless a greater number is required by
the bylaws of the board, the act of a majority of the governors present at any meeting shall be deemed the act of the
board. ((b) amended June 23, 1988, P.L.457, No.77)".
Current enrollment and alumni
Almost 110,000 undergraduate and graduate, part-time and full-time, students attend State System universities. Nearly 90 percent are Pennsylvania residents and 80 percent remain in Pennsylvania after graduation. Minority enrollment is at an all-time high. A record total of 11,500 minority students—nearly 11 percent of the total student population—are taking classes at State System universities. There are more than 734,000 State System
alumni
Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
, including more than 518,000 who live and work in Pennsylvania.
Facilities and employees
In total the university campuses comprise approximately . A total of 862 buildings with nearly house classrooms, residences, administrative offices, and student support services. The State System employs more than 13,700 professional and support staff, most covered by
collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The i ...
agreements. The various libraries are connected through the cooperative
Keystone Library Network.
See also
*
List of Pennsylvania state agencies
State related agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Agencies
*Pennsylvania Attorney General
*Pennsylvania Auditor General
* Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole
* Pennsylvania Department of Aging
*Pennsylvania Department of Agricult ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pennsylvania State System Of Higher Education
Public university systems in the United States